1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to an article of clothing comprising a bodice secured to pants at the front of the waist resulting in a one-piece article of clothing. The rear of the pants possesses an improved substitute for a drop-seat which facilitates addressing toilet and personal hygiene needs.
2. Description of Prior Art
One-piece unitary garments originated as long underwear in the mid 1800's as an alternative to the restricting garments worn by women during that era, and soon gained popularity among men as well. A later progeny of the original type of long underwear was patented in 1868 and was referred to as a “union suit.” It was developed as a garment to be worn under exterior clothing in cold climates, and, because it covered all of the arms, torso—both front and back, and legs, it was worn exclusively as long-underwear. It buttoned up the front, was fastened through buttonholes extending from the neck to the groin and had a “drop seat” (i.e., a button-up flap in the rear covering the posterior of the pelvic region in humans, i.e. the buttocks) allowing the wearer to eliminate bodily waste without removing the garment. The “drop seat, being a loose flap at the rear of the garment is often referred to as a “lappet.”
Variations and improvements on long-underwear, which, at the time, was worn exclusively as an interior garment, eventuated into a “jumpsuit,” so named in about 1944 as it was a full length protective outer garment usually zipped up the front worn by paratroopers for protection when jumping from aircraft.
The jumpsuit morphed into coveralls also worn as an outer garment by mechanics, maintenance personnel, etc.
In the 1960's with the emergence of the “unisex” look, designers saw the benefit of a unitary garment as a different approach to fashion and made the jumpsuit into sportswear which became a chic option for day or evening ladieswear.
With the acceptance of the jumpsuit, (some referred to it as a “Pantsuit”) as part of a ladies sportswear wardrobe, many diverse designs have entered the market. The jump suit, like the long-underwear, comprises a one-piece garment. However since the jumpsuit worn in the ordinary course of day or night time activities is designed as “outerwear,” it does not, for appearance sake and other obvious reasons, contain the drop seat as found in the union suit.
The reality in wearing a unitary garment is that at some point in time, the wearer will have to respond to a requirement to relieve oneself, or for some hygienic reason. In the past, since long underwear was an inner garment, this was easily accomplished in most instances through the use of the drop seat. If there was no dropseat, e.g., in a coverall, the wearer would be put to the task of removing the outer garments in the confines of a stall or a bathroom, before undertaking the task at hand. This was time-consuming, laborious and inconvenient.
With the advent of the fashionable jump suit worn to various day and night activities, the designers opted to eliminate the drop seat entirely since a buttoned flap in the rear of an otherwise stylish unitary garment would hardly be considered de rigueur.
Thus, there is a need for a stylish jumpsuit that allows the wearer to attend to and be involved in daily activities, and concurrently have a convenient means for relieving oneself or attending to personal hygiene activities.
A review of applicable prior art patents reveals significant shortcomings in the fit, style, and ease of use of the various drop-seat designs to enable the wearer to engage in toilet and personal hygiene activities.
References to Sampey, U.S. Pat. No. 3,949,427 (Apr. 13, 1976) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,026 (Nov. 30, 1976); Spaulding, U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,774 (May 18, 1976); Marcellaro, U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,911 (May 15, 1984); Tomasi-Dubois, U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,356 (May 14, 1991); Fiveash, U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,182 (Nov. 17, 1992) have all addressed drop-seat applications adapted to jumpsuits. Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,581 (Apr. 27, 1999) relating to a jumpsuit is incorporated by reference herein.
The drop-seat embodiment in these prior designs disclosed in the aforementioned patents suffered from the following limitations:
the drop-seat panel, or lappet, did not closely conform to contours of the body;
the lappet was easily discernible, drawing undesirable attention to the basic toilet function of elimination,
the methods for securing the lappet tended to be cumbersome when partially disrobing in toilet facilities,
the risk of inadvertently wetting or soiling the garment remained an ever-present possibility.